A dealer in purple cloth from Thyatira, living at Philippi, and a worshipper of God. Paul met her at the riverside place of prayer on the sabbath — the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what he said, and she and her household were baptised. She then pressed the missionaries to stay at her house, and it was to her home that Paul and Silas returned after the earthquake released them from prison. She is the first named convert in Europe.
ArchaeologyInscriptions from Thyatira attest its guild of purple-dyers — the very trade Luke gives her, a small exact touch.
Thyatira guild inscriptions naming the dyers' guild (οἱ βαφεῖς); Thyatira texts collected in Tituli Asiae Minoris V.2, ed. P. Herrmann (Vienna, 1989); trade discussed by C.J. Hemer, 'The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting' (JSOT Press, 1986).
A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.
“And when she and her family had had baptism, she made a request to us, saying, If it seems to you that I am true to the Lord, come into my house and be my guests. And she made us come.”— Acts 16:15
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
